McBush

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I can't figure out who did the original photoshop job, but I like it.
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Attorney General Roberto Gonzales Throws In The Towel

This is the text of President Bush's announcement today.

This morning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that he will leave the Department of Justice after two and a half years of service to the department.

Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle, and I have reluctantly accepted his resignation with great appreciation for the service that he has provided for our country.

As attorney general and before that as White House counsel, Al Gonzales has played a critical role in shaping our policies in the war on terror and has worked tirelessly to make this country safer. The Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and other important laws bear his imprint.

Under his leadership, the Justice Department has made a priority of protecting children from Internet predators, made enforcement of civil rights laws a top priority. He aggressively and successfully pursued public corruption and effectively combated gang violence.

As attorney general, he played an important role in helping to confirm two fine jurists in Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

He did an outstanding job as White House counsel, identifying and recommending the best nominees to fill critically important federal court vacancies.

Alberto Gonzales' tenure as attorney general and White House counsel is only part of a long history of distinguished public service that began as a young man when after high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force.

When I became governor of Texas in 1995, I recruited him from one of Texas' prestigious law firms to be my general counsel. He went on to become Texas' 100th secretary of state and to serve on our state's supreme court.

In the long course of our work together this trusted adviser became a close friend.

These various positions have required sacrifice from Al, his wife Becky, their sons Jared, Graham and Gabriel. And I thank them for their service to the country.

After months of unfair treatment, that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accept his decision.

It's sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeding from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

I've asked Solicitor General Paul Clement to serve as acting attorney general upon Alberto Gonzales' departure and until a nominee has been confirmed by the Senate.

He's agreed to do so.

Paul is one of the finest lawyers in America. As solicitor general, Paul has a representation of fairness and earned the respect and confidence of the entire Justice Department. Thank you.
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More photos commemorating MISSION ACCOMPLISHED week

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Photo: "Mission Accomplished!"/Day Four Of Mission Accomplished Week

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Day Three Of All This Is That's MISSION ACCOMPLISHED WEEK

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"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"

click to enlarge - the photo's provenance is unknown

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The Scooter Libby Pardon

As soon as Scooter Libby was convicted of lying, the calls from Republicans for a pardon began. However, as the loyal fall guy, Libby is not ready for a pardon. His case needs to wend its way through the appellate courts now, which may take years. And it's not like the President has the political capital to pull this off right now. . .although, we have seen him pull other suicidal moves over the last 6+ years (such as nominating Harriet Meiers for ther Supreme Court, nominating Bolton as the U.N. delegate, deficit war financing, and plunging into his new "surge" in Iraq). If he does decide to pardon Libby, he would likely do it the morning of January 20, 2009. . .that blessed day so many of us are awaiting. If the pardon did come on that last day, we would see George Bush exit the Presidency as he entered it: under a massive firestorm of protest and anger. It would make a fitting bookend to this failed Presidency.

There are at least two impediments to a pardon for Libby:

1) George Bush's already tarnished "legacy." We know he thinks about this, and we also know not many Presidents have ever resurrected their legacy in their last 20 months in office. A pardon would only garner approval from the Neo-cons and the far right.

2) Perhaps even more importantly, there is the Dick Cheney problem. As Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told the jury last month in his summations: ""There is a cloud over the vice president." We know that Libby painted Cheney, his former boss, as the puppeteer, pulling strings in a campaign to defend the administration's case for war in Iraq and discredit a critic. And yet, so far, he seems willing to be the scapegoat and fall guy for Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. As he begins facing serious jail time, you wonder if he won't take a scorched earth position.

Vice President Cheney's recent health problems have led to speculation that he might actually resign. Who knows what effect that would have on a possible pardon? Surely Condi Rice would become VP. She at least seems untarnished by this fracas. And with no one to bring down politically or legally, the President's counsel would tell Libby's lawyer to pound sound when they came calling for a pardon.

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